ACDG5: Demogame, anyone (especially newbies)?

[vyeh]

Nobody has complained about it. Anyone can open your file and move around in it. A PC user wouldn't be able to save.

[Mart]

The solution is known, I can modify the save file in hex editor, so the smac save can be saved on PC.

And, as Vyeh mentions, everyone can open the save on PC anyway, though file name has to be changed to .sav - in the zip there is no these 4 characters.

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Edit:
And the change is already in the most recent smacx_demac program by Kody, the link again, in case some PC user wants to get it from here:
Download here

[vyeh]

Does the most recent smacx_demac program work with SMAC SP save files?

[vyeh]

The discovery of Biogenetics is MY 2114 has raised several points:

(1) Why wasn't Biogenetics higher on my wish list? Recycling Tanks seem much more important. The Human Genome Project is our ideal early game secret project. We are on the verge of exceeding the bureaucracy limit.

(2) Starting the Weather Paradigm early doesn't seem like such a bad move. It acted a place holder for the Human Genome Project.

(3) In retrospect, I think our research path should have been Doctrine: Mobility, Doctrine: Flexibility followed by Biogenetics or Social Psych (for drone control).

[Mart]

Well, yes, you are right, it works only for multiplayer.
I will need to add stuff for singleplayer.
I think I did know where to change the file byte in SP, let me check.

Ok, I can confirm. The location where a single byte in the save file needs o be replaced by value 0 can be very well seen in hex editor. No problem here.

[vyeh]

Bodissey,

You've posted a 2114 screenshot for 2115 in the turn posting thread.

This is the image you want:



Could you edit your post?

Note that I have edited my last post, two posts above. It was a double post of the one just above it.

[vyeh]

Mart,

We're only 15 turns in and there are so many tradeoffs. You created a good game.

[Nahkrinoth]

Still looking for people or are you guys full?

[Mart]

Hi, Nahkrinoth
There is no limit to number of players. Join the game if you wish. See the info and welcome thread:

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=177950

Participation is as much as you would be willing to contribute.

Vyeh, I'm glad you like the setup. Thank you.

[vyeh]

Nahkrinoth,

Welcome. After you've read the index and welcome thread Mart has indicated, feel free to ask questions in this thread.

I would NOT recommend reading the game threads or any other thread (including this one) except for the index and welcome thread.

For example, the turn posting thread might seem cryptic since sometimes it is half of a dialog. (The other half occurs in The Wardroom thread.)

I'd be interested to know a little about your SMAC background. How long have you been playing? What is your usual difficulty level? What is your favorite faction? Do you participate in any other SMAC forums?

[Nahkrinoth]

I've been playing for years, but almost entirely single player. I usually play on thinker or transcend. I like playing cyborgs. I thought the SMAC community died years ago and went to various civ games. I was pleasantly surprised to find this forum. How exactly do the AI factions play against us? Are we playing against them, Mart, or the AI nudged along by Mart?

[vyeh]

The AI plays against us like any single player game.

Mart enhanced the AI at the beginning; now, they're on autopilot. He isn't nudging them or playing them.

[Mart]

AI were enhanced during the game setup. For now, I do not think about any changes, but there is always such possibility in case of technical difficulties since the game is actual singleplayer. I think AIs are sufficiently challenging. I do not want to modify AI during play, cause it would make them "unrealistic" if one can say so. Anyway, you play against AI, not against me. One player controlling 6 factions, that's too powerful. I set up the game, now I'm only a referee. That's how I see it.

The smac community is quite small now compared to like 4 years ago. ACDG3 was the last large event, we had like more than 50 players...?

[vyeh]

Mart,

How many times did you download the end save of 2118?

It has been downloaded three times. I only downloaded it once. Bodissey wouldn't need to download it.

By the way, did you see how valuable that Morgan comm link frequency turned out to be: three techs, a huge map (it would have taken a lot of rover turns to uncover it), and a pact that is producing three energy per turn.

I wonder if the Gaians or University will be as receptive to trading and pacting. Morgan gets more than he gives when he pacts so he may have a built in bias to forming pacts.

By the way, the terraforming around Morgan Industries is wicked. Morgan is producing so much minerals that he has an ecological damage percentage of 1. Combined with the inherent transcend AI advantage, no wonder Morgan built the Weather Paradigm so quickly.

[Mart]

I think I downloaded once, maybe Nahkrinoth observes the game.

Morgan is cooperative indeed, but you know, when he gets a reason an AI Morgan becomes nasty - this is just general remark, nothing revealing about this game.

Yes, terraforming in Morgan territory and other things you can see when you have Pact. AI terraforming is actually very bad even on transcend level. But this way, AI can be worthy opponents, not just cannon fodder. The bonus Morgan has may last or end soon. It's not easy to predict completely. Anyway, AIs do so many stupid things all the time.

Properly playing diplomacy with AIs may give you a lot of bonusses, keep at comparable tech level. It adds to the game that diplomacy can be a good alternative to just conquering an AI faction.

On the other hand, when AI declares vendetta, they will pose a real danger.

I hope I created a challenging, to some extent unpredictible for you game, but enjoyable.